Breakdown firearm.



No. 629,770. Patented Aug. l, I899. L. H. COBB.

BREAKDOWN HBEABM.

(Application filed Apr. 2% 1899.)

(No Model.)

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the frame and stock 'which the working UN TED STATES ATnN'r @rrrce.

LYMAN II. COBB, OF SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE.

BREAKDOWN FIREARM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 629,770, dated August 1,1899. Application filed April 25, 1899. Serial No. 714,382. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN H. COBB, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica,and a resident of South Portland, Cumberland county, State ofMaine,have in vented certain new and usefulImprovements in BreakdownFirearms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a breakdown firearm, and it is particularlyadapted to the manufacture of sin gle-barrelled shotguns and rifles.

The object of the invention is to construct a shotgun or rifle which canbe cheaplymanufactured and easily repaired and which shall have all theadvantages of high-priced guns.

The invention resides, chiefly, in the mechanism for locking the barrelin place and for applying the force of the mainspring to the hammer andin the construction which enables me to use a coiled spring foractuating a hammer of ordinary construction, all of which will behereinafter set forth and claimed.

I illustrate my invention by means of the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a central longitudinal section with some of the partsshown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a top view of the frame, and Fig. 3 is aperspective View showing the lockingbolt and the ham ler-brace in theirrelative positions.

A represents the barrel;

C, the lug on its rear end; B, the stock.

D is the frame in parts are mounted, and 7t and d are the trigger-guardand tang, respectively. The barrel is here shown as pivoted to theforward end of the frame in the usual manner of breakdown guns. Theseparts are common to such guns and need no further description.

The barrel is locked in position by means of alocking-bolt O, which isslidably mounted in the frame and extends back into arearwardly-projec-ting tubular extension 6, which is formed in theframe. A plug it, having a flange portion t, is screwed into the rearend of the tubular extension, and the fasteningbolt 8 extends throughfrom the rear end of the stock and screws into the plug a to fastentogether. The sliding bolt has a central longitudinal slot or opening 0,Fig. 3, which extends nearly throughout the entire length and forms aspace, in the forward portion of which the hammer J is pivoted by meansof the pivot j pivoted in the side walls of the frame. A horizontal slot0 is formed in the bolt to admit the passage of the pivot, so that thebolt may have a limited longitudinal motion without interfering with thepivot. The rear end of the slot 0 is closed by a crossbar 0 which fitsclosely in suitable recesses on each side of the bolt. The cross-barpasses through the bifurcated end of the hammer-brace as I shall termit, the function of which is to transmit the force of the mainspring tothe hammer. The body of the ham mer-brace lies within the slot 0 and hasa longitudinal motion therein. The rear end is'bifurcated, as stated, toallow the passage of the cross-bar, and the extremities of thebifurcated ends are united back of the rear end of the lockingbolt bymeans of a ring or cylinder section 72. The forward end of thehammer-brace bears against the rear edge of the hammer at two points,one above and one below the pivotj the brace being provided with twoprojections and the hammer with two corresponding recesses. These twobearing-points are so arranged that their pressure tends to hold thehammer just back of the firing-pin, so that after firing the hammerrebounds to that position and is safely held there by the searnose ofthe trigger 'l, which enters a suitablylocated notch in the tumblerj.The triggerspring Z tends to keep the sear in place.

In order to prevent the hammer from being cocked when the bolt is drawnentirely or partially back and to prevent the bolt being withdrawn whenthe hammer is cooked, I form a rearwardly-extending shoulder 0 on thebolt 0 and a forwardly-extending projection on the tumbler adjacent tothe shoulder and below the same. When the bolt is forward and the barrellocked down, the projection on the tumbler will just clear the shoulder,allowing the hammer to be freely cocked. Then the bolt is withdrawn withthe hammer down, the shoulder 0 slides over the tumbler, preventing thehammer from'being raised, and when the hammer is raised with the bolt inits forward or looking position the tumbler rises into the path of theshoulder and prevents the bolt from being retracted. Thus the barrel cannot be unlocked when the hammer is raised, and the hammer cannot beraised unless the bolt is in its locking position, and the gun cannot befired with the barrel partially locked and until it is pressed down farenough to cause the bolt to snap into place.

The coiled mainspring p is applied to the rear end of the ham m er-braceand is confined in the tubular extension 6, its rear end impinging onthe plug U. Inside of the coiled mainspring is the coiled bolt-spring 7,which extends through the ring n in the rear end of the brace and abutsagainst the cross-bar 0 The locking-bolt is drawn back by a retractor f,which is a short vertical shaft journaled in the frame over the bolt andhaving a crank-pin t' on its lower end out of line with its center andfitting loosely in a lateral slot 0 formed in one of the side bars ofthe bolt. A screw 1" enters an annular slot in the journal to hold it inplace, and a thumb-lever g is provided to operate the retractor.

The operation of my gun will be readily understood from what has beensaid regarding its construction, and the advantages of the constructionwill be evident. By means of the tubular extension the main operatingparts are put in and taken out through a cylindrical opening, easilybored out, and the gun can thus be readily assembled and repaired. Ithas all the motions and safeguards of highpriced guns; but it is soconstructed that it can be made at a low price. The mainspring, being acoiled spring, can be readily slipped into the tubular extension, andany desired tension is put on it by screwing the plug U more or lessinto the tubular extension.

Iclaim 1. In abreakdown firearm the combination of a frame having abarrel pivoted thereto, a lockin g-bolt having a longitudinal slottherein slidably mounted in said frame and adapted to engage the end ofthe barrel, a hammer pivoted in said slot, the pivot of said hammerpassing through ahorizontal slot in said looking -bolt, a forwardly-projecting tumbler formed on said hammer and a rearwardlyprojectingshoulder formed on said bolt, said tumbler being normally below andrearward of said shoulder but so located as to engage therewith when thehammer is raised and the bolt is withdrawn, substantially as described.

2. In abreakdown firearm, the combination of a frame having a barrelpivoted thereto, a spring-actuated locking-bolt having a longitudinalslot therein slidably mounted in said frame and adapted to engage theend of the barrel, a hammer pivoted in said slot, the pivot of saidhammer passing through a horizontal slot formed in said locking-bolt, alongitudinally-movable hammer-brace in said slot impinging against saidhammer and a coiled mainspring acting against said brace, substantiallyas described.

3. In a breakdown firearm, the combination of a frame having a barrelpivoted thereto, and a rearward tubular extension thereon, aspring-actuated locking-bolt having a horizontal slot therein slidablymounted in said tubular extension and adapted to engage the end of thebarrel, a hammer pivoted in said slot, the pivot of said hammer passingthrough a horizontal slot formed in said locking-bolt, alongitudinally-movable hammer-brace in said slot impinging against saidhammer and a coiled mainspring acting against said brace, substantiallyas described.

4. In a breakdown firearm, the combination of a frame having a barrelpivoted thereto, a rearward tubular extension thereon, a locking-bolthaving a longitudinal slot therein slidably mounted in said tubularextension and adapted to engage the end of said barrel, a hammer pivotedin said slot, the pivot of said ham mer passing through a horizontalslot formed in said locking-bolt, a longitudinallyinovable hammer-bracein said slot, the forward end of said brace impinging against saidhammer, the rear end of said brace being bifurcated with a ring orcylinder section uniting the rear ends of the bifurcations, a crossbarextending across said longitudinal slot at the rear end of saidlocking-bolt and passing through the bifurcation of said hammerbrace, acoiled mainsprin g acting against said ring and a coiled bolt-springWithin said mainspring acting against said cross-bar, substantially asdescribed. r

5. In abreakdown firearm, the combination of a frame having a barrelpivoted thereto, a rearward tubular extension thereon, a locking-bolthaving a longitudinal slot therein slidably mounted in said tubularextension and adapted to engage the end of said barrel, a hammer pivotedin said slot, the pivot of said hammer passing through a horizontal slotformed in said locking-bolt, a longitudinallymovable hammer-brace insaid slot, the for-' ward end of said brace impinging against saidhammer at two points of contact, one above and one below said pivot, acoiled mainspring acting against the rear end of said hammerbrace and acoiled bolt-spring acting against the rear end of said bolt,substantially as described.

Signed by me, at Portland, Maine, this Mth day of April, 1899.

LYMAN II. COBB. Vitnesses:

S. WV. BATES,

L. M. GODFREY.

